In a technical brief published on Wednesday 18 February, the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe has warned that inadequate and inappropriate nursing staffing levels are jeopardising patient safety and accelerating the departure of nurses from the profession.
Europe’s healthcare systems are under mounting pressure from staff shortages, rising care demands and escalating burnout, according to the WHO. It believes that too few nurses or a lack of appropriate skill sets has increased risks to patients and has worsened mental ill-health of staff (see EUROPE 13560/12).
The WHO has warned of a “ticking timebomb”, with an expected shortage of almost one million healthcare professionals in Europe by 2030.
“Nurses account for more than half – 56% – of the health workforce (...) Safe nurse staffing is therefore not a luxury or administrative detail”, said Dr Hans Kluge, Regional Director for WHO Europe.
The brief identifies priority policy actions, including treating nursing care as safety-critical, in particular with regard to nurse-patient ratios, as well as better management of the complexity of the system, using digital technology to lighten administrative tasks.
Link to the brief: https://aeur.eu/f/ksi (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)